GROUPS AND ORGANISATIONS

CHRIST CHURCH, NAILSEA

SATURDAY MORNING COFFEE/TEA
Every Saturday between 10:30am and 12:00pm you will find a warm welcome awaiting you in the Christ Church Vestry Hall. We might not be giving away free cups of tea or coffee, but, where else can you get a good cuppa for £1.00 AND a slice of cake for 50p AND have a chat AND a laugh with plenty of friends? Saturday morning coffee is a regular favourite for those in the church and passers-by alike. Special events take place throughout the year: Mothers’ Union coffee mornings, charity coffee mornings, flower fund raising, jigsaw sales and sometimes ‘one offs’ to raise money for a special event. Volunteers to help make and serve coffee and tea are always welcome.

MOTHERS’ UNION (MU)
Christ Church has an active branch of the MU that meets regularly in the Vestry Hall and the church. For more information on our local group, please telephone the parish office or click below to see the latest information regarding Mothers’ Union. Our Mothers’ Union co-ordinator is Jacqui Broughton.

We have approximately forty members on our books and, of these, two are men. We believe in supporting Christian family life and helping those in adversity. We raise money to support MU projects at home and overseas. Our programme is varied, from local MU speakers to talks on old Nailsea; ploughman’s lunch to cream teas; and soup and pudding lunch at our AGM. We have a carol service and lent communion. We meet on the 3rd Wednesday each month at 2:30pm and from April to September on the1st Monday at 7:30pm. We also have prayers in church at 10am on the first Wednesday of each month, except January and August with quarterly Holy Communion. We try to attend deanery and diocesan events. We don’t just make cups of tea and cakes, contrary to popular belief! We are always on the lookout for new members so that Mothers’ Union can grow. The more we grow, the more we can make a positive impact in society to help support parents and families. Do feel free to come and join us. You will be most welcome.

First Sunday at Christ Church – Music Group & Choir

MUSIC GROUP
Margaret co-ordinates our Music group at Christ Church which leads our worship on the First Sunday of each month. There are four of us at the moment – Margaret (piano), Paul (violin), Jill (flute) and Malcolm (oboe and cor anglais). If there are any of you out there who would like to join our merry band, then please call the Benefice Office on 01275 859210.

CHOIR

Joint Choir at Tickenham

Christ Church and Tickenham Church have robed choirs that lead our worship at our morning and some evening services.

The Christ Church Choir meets in church on Friday evenings at 7:00pm for practice and are always on the lookout for new members. Please contact the choir via the Benefice Office (01275 859210) for more information. The choir continues to take a regular and active part in the life of our Benefice, with regular support from members of Tickenham choir at our practices, special services and events. A number of our choristers take part in Deanery and Diocesan Choral activities. We make an annual trip to St Mary Redcliffe, Bristol, in August, to sing the evening service.

The Piecemakers

PIECEMAKERS
Piecemakers meets twice a month, from 1:45pm until 4:15pm, during term-time, in the Christ Church Vestry Hall. This is a teaching group for machine-made Patchwork and Quilting. The maximum number for the group is 12, in order to accommodate table space for each person’s sewing machine.

Vacancies in the group do occur from time to time; if you are interested and would like further information, please contact the Benefice Office (01275 859210).

PRAYER CHAIN – Christ Church and St Quiricus & St Julietta
Our Benefice Prayer Chain consists of a small network of Church members from Tickenham and Christ Church, who receive urgent prayer requests, via a telephone call, and pray immediately and confidentially for each request. If you would like the Prayer Chain to pray for you, or for someone else, please contact Bobbie Shannon on 01275 856260, or the Benefice Office on 01275 859210 if unable to reach Bobbie.

CHRIST CHURCH CRAFTS (CCC)
Twice a month, a group of about twelve ladies meet at the home of Val Cave to undertake craft activities including knitting, sewing, crochet, card making etc and, of course, having a good chat. We support Christian Hope International, a charity that sends the products to Third World countries. Over the last year, we have provided 14 blankets, 101 jumpers, 8 vests, 14 hats and one teddy. In addition, we have raised over £200 from our tea/cake donations which our charity uses for administration and the cost of packaging and posting our products. New crafters are always welcome.

BOOKSTALL
Maurice organises the Benefice Christian Book Borrowing Scheme, which provides quality books for members to borrow, read and return. There is a small but growing collection available at both churches. Books may be signed out and back using the register adjacent to the bookstall.

BOYS NIGHT OUT
For the men! Meeting in the White Lion, Nailsea from 8:00pm until approximately 10:30pm on the first Thursday of the month – for a natter and a pint!

FLOWERS IN CHURCH
Angela Wheller and the flower ladies arrange flowers in the church for weddings and other special celebrations as well as the festivals of Easter, Harvest and Christmas.

BIBLE READING NOTES
Do you ever wish that you found the Bible – the Good News – the Best News-more interesting, relevant, worth taking the time to read and ponder its meaning? Help is available through the various Bible Reading Notes that can be obtained through church, saving you the trouble of a postal subscription or going to a Christian Bookshop. Twenty eight members of our churches make use of these published notes to guide and help them in their Bible Reading. These are published at varying intervals throughout the year by the Bible Reading Fellowship, Scripture Union, and CWR (Crusade for World Revival). Based on a theme or particular book, the Bible passage is commented on by different people of note, scholarship or experience. Using any of these aids can be a great encouragement to grow in our Christian life and sometimes it is quite fun as well. Subscriptions for the year start in January, but an order can be put in for you at any time. The subscription list is up in both churches. Should you be unsure as to which notes would be right for you, have a word with a member of the Staff or with Maurice Eveleigh. Come and join us!

AFTER EIGHTS
Led by Rhona, After 8s is a group of ladies who meet, generally in members’ homes on the third Monday evening of each month, just after eight o’clock. We open with prayer and notices followed by an invited speaker, a demonstration or slides of a special trip and culminate with refreshments and much chat. Sometimes, we combine forces with Mothers’ Union and hold an open meeting in the Vestry Hall. The December meeting is a festive meal with a member of staff providing a reflection. There are still several founder members around and we are constantly welcoming new ladies of any age!

All ladies are welcome to join After Eights, so if you are interested, pick up a programme from the church porch or contact us via the Benefice Office. We’d love to see you. While you are visiting our website, you can view our programme on the Events page.

ST QUIRICUS AND ST JULIETTA, TICKENHAM

There are various groups, organisations and clubs, some of general interest and some for a specific interest group. These meet either in the afternoon or evening, often with a variety of guest speakers or special events:

Joint Choir at Tickenham

CHOIR – Tickenham
Our small but able choir help to lift our services with their music, along with our regular visiting organists who we rely on each week. We welcome Christ Church choristers at some of our services.

FLOWER ARRANGING
Carol and her team of flower arrangers work tirelessly to make our church even more beautiful. The number of festivals has increased in recent years to four (including the Patronal Festival) in addition to the normal flower arrangements in church through the year (except Lent and 2-3 weeks in Advent). The Flower Arrangers have also taken on the making of Mothering Sunday posies for the last several years.

GOOD NEIGHBOURS
Another village group are the Good Neighbours team. As well as providing the monthly lunches in the village hall, and coffees at church after service, they also work behind the scenes in a pastoral sense by keeping in touch with those people in the village who may be in need. An invaluable and often un-noticed service.

PRAYER CHAIN – Christ Church and St Quiricus & St Julietta
Our Benefice Prayer Chain consists of a small network of Church members (12 in total) from Tickenham and Christ Church, who receive urgent prayer requests, via a telephone call, and pray immediately and confidentially for each request. If you would like the Prayer Chain to pray for you, or for someone else, please contact Bobbie Shannon on 01275 856260, or the Benefice Office on 01275 859210 if unable to reach Bobbie.

BIBLE READING NOTES
Do you ever wish that you found the Bible – the Good News – the Best News – more interesting, relevant, worth taking the time to read and ponder its meaning? Help is available through the various Bible Reading Notes that can be obtained through church, saving you the trouble of a postal subscription or going to a Christian Bookshop. Twenty six members of our churches make use of these published notes to guide and help them in their Bible Reading. These are published at varying intervals throughout the year by the Bible Reading Fellowship, Scripture Union, and CWR (Crusade for World Revival). Based on a theme or particular book, the Bible passage is commented on by different people of note, scholarship or experience. Using any of these aids can be a great encouragement to grow in our Christian life and sometimes it is quite fun as well. Subscriptions for the year start in January, but an order can be put in for you at any time. The subscription list is up in both churches. Should you be unsure as to which notes would be right for you, have a word with a member of the Staff or with Maurice Eveleigh. Come and join us!

BELLRINGERS
There’s more to life than just ringing! We have to maintain and renovate all the moving parts of the bells; the bearings, the clapper suspension, re-running the leads to the ropes, turning the tenor bell – improving the access to the bells and frame and tightening up the 18th century wooden frame. We have also had to move the beams and rope guides in the bell tower to effect a big improvement for the ringers.

We keep in contact and maintain good communications and relationships with other towers and ringers, from which we benefit on a regular basis. Ringers from Clevedon, Nailsea, Wraxall, Kingston Seymour and others, often help with either training or making up a team for services. We have eight regular ringers from the village (or just outside) as the home team – and four regular guest ringers – and six or so beyond who are always happy to help when asked – because our main challenge is having the right number of people all available at the right time. We practice every week on a Thursday and, of course, ring the bells every Sunday.